True Love Never Fades
by DarkAgumonRants
Summary: It's been 8 years since the events of Pokemon Heroes, and while Ash has achieved his dream of becoming Pokemon Master, Latias is waiting for him to return. Will he?
1. Prologue

Author's Notes: This is my first serious attempt at writing any kind of fanfic. I originally was going to wait until I finished this thing before posting it, but then it would be a HUUUGE post and have much less interactivity to it.

I'll post the Prologue and Chapter 1 for now and update every day until I run out and have to start writing more, when the updates will become less frequent. I hope everyone enjoys. Nobody's posted a serious Altoshipping fic here in quite a long time.

Also, it takes place 8 years after Pokémon Heroes, so I suppose it's a bit of a dimension of my own creation. Is that enough of a disclaimer, or do I have to say I don't own Pokémon? I don't. And I'm broke. And now on to the story...

**True Love Never Fades**  
_by darkagumonrants_

**Prologue**

With a loud whistle, a red and white blur cut through the air at a break-neck pace, coming to a complete stop at the top of a large stone building. There dangling from the rafters was a Raticate hanging on for dear life.

"HELP MEEEE!" the Raticate could only scream to the guardian of Altomare before his grip fell slack and he started falling like a bomb to the treacherous rocky ground thirty stories below. A loud scream could be heard from beneath them as he plummeted.

With great concern, but a clear mind focused on the impending severity of the situation, Latias dove down and watched the ground rush at her as she hurried to beat the falling Raticate to the ground. Equaling his falling velocity and pushing herself to the limit, she rushed forward and pulled out of the dive at the last second before hitting the ground, having just enough time to fly forward for the Raticate to land on her back with a heavy thump. Ignoring the pain of the impact, Latias cried out in a loud victory chirp, happy to have averted disaster and to have saved the Raticate.

"Are you okay?" asked Latias sweetly with a touch of worry in her voice.

"Yes... yes... I think so," responded the obviously shaken Raticate. "All thanks to you. If you hadn't caught me, I surely would have hit a jagged rock and found my death. Oh dear me, that would not have been good."

As the Raticate clambered down Latias' back to the ground, another Raticate that was very pregnant came clambering up with tears in her eyes and hugged the other Raticate close to her.

"BABY! You're safe. Thank the stars." After they hugged and cooed at each other for several moments, the female Raticate turned to face her lover's savior. "Thank you so much for saving my mate. If it wasn't for you, he would be gone entirely from my life. I don't think I could have handled that, especially with the new baby on the way. We owe you everything!"

Latias blushed. "Oh, please don't thank me. It's the least I could do. I'm happy to do what I can for everyone," she insisted as she hovered silently half a foot from the ground, reaching up with one of her clawed arms to smooth out her feathers.

"Don't be silly," chimed in the Raticate that had been rescued. He whispered a few words to the other Raticate and she nodded before he readdressed Latias. "What you have done for our family will never be forgotten. In fact, though we can't exactly name our unborn son after you, we would be very happy if you were to choose his name, for without you, he would have grown up without a father."

Latias' eyes widened in flattered surprise. "I really don't deserve such an honor as to name your child. I wouldn't even know what to suggest."

The pregnant Raticate smiled sweetly. "Is there really not any name that comes to mind? A relative or a loved one perhaps?"

Latias stopped for a moment and didn't move a muscle as she seemed to get lost in thought and inner-turmoil. Finally, she spoke. "Ash."


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

"PIKACHU, DODGE THAT HYPER BEAM AND USE A FULL-ON OFFENSIVE ASSAULT VOLT TACKLE LIKE WE PRACTICED!" screamed a young man of 22 with shoulder length pointy looking black hair who was sporting a green sweater vest over a white t-shirt and long slightly torn blue jeans. There was a highly determined look on his face as beads of sweat from being out in the hot sun for several hours ran down his cheeks. Around him the combined gasps of a full crowd in an enormous stadium resounded.

"CHU PI!" the fatigued Pikachu screamed back in acknowledgment and leapt away right as a very powerful and violent beam slammed against where she had been standing only a moment before. With the incredible agility of an exceedingly well-trained and cared for Pikachu, she landed safely on her hind legs and without wasting a single moment, placed her front feet on the ground and took off in a running frenzy toward the frustrated and tired looking Exploud, her body temperature heating up as she began glowing an opaque yellow, sparks shooting from her cheeks.

Before Pokémon Master Renée could shout out another command for her Exploud, Pikachu had made direct contact with the Exploud's stomach. With a sick electrical lurch and a loud roar from the Exploud, he went flying 5 feet into the air while static yellow shock erupted around his body. Landing on his side in the mud with a heavy crash just as Pikachu landed four feet away on her feet, he groaned and slid for several moments. Looking up at his trainer, he saw the look of panic and alarm on her face. He slowly got to his feet in a very tired and pained manner, glaring at the Pikachu that was struggling with her own composure, a fierce red glow of contempt and derision in his eyes. Faltering, he fell over on his side, eyes spiraled, fainted.

Struggling and shaking badly, Pikachu turned around to face Ash with a look of utmost love and affection in her eyes. In that short moment Ash could see that she truly understood that everything they had ever worked for in the past 11 years had come to fruition and together they had finally achieved their ultimate goal in life. He looked at her in return with such adoration and pride, his trademark grin appearing for her.

"Pika-pi..." was all she could softly muster before toppling over on her side, fainted.

Until this moment, the crowd had become dead-silent. When realization dawned on them of what had just happened, the whole arena began to shake and explode in loud cheers. Still in shock, Ash stood there for a moment staring at his fainted Pikachu as Renée looked at her Exploud and frowned.

"Good work, Exploud. You did amazingly," she said before holding out a Pokéball and pointing it at him. "Return." A beam of red light shot out of the device and collected the fainted Pokémon, transferring him back within. It was then that Ash did something unprecedented by any newly titled Pokémon Master before him. He climbed over the trainer platform and dropped into the field and ran toward his Pikachu. He picked her up in his arms, cradled her close to his chest, and immediately began administering medicine to her wounds. "You were incredible, Pikachu."

The loud amplified voice of the referee cut through the loud cheering. "This 6 on 6 Pokémon Master Battle has ended. Both parties have whited out. Renée's Exploud was first to faint by a few seconds, so the match will go to Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town, Kanto. This officially ends Renée Hostetter's of Azalea Town, Johto, eight year occupation of the title world champion. That title will now succeed to Ash Ketchum."

The cheering of the crowd that was almost deafening before now suddenly picked up in decibels even more. It wasn't very often that a new champion was declared, and the audience there was able to witness this momentous occasion in person.

Ash could hardly believe his ears. The thing that he wanted most since before he could remember was now his. A flashback of being 5 and running around with his imaginary Pokémon gracefully battling for him before his mother cheerfully declared him champion of the universe ran through his head. It didn't seem real to him at all. Snapping out of it and tuning out the loud raucous cheers of the crowd and the referee, preoccupied with hopes of getting away to make sure his Pokémon were all right, he almost missed when it was announced where the World Champion crowning ceremony would take place.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Latias sat at her fountain within the Secret Garden and let the warm water gently tickle her claw as it trickled past. She no longer changed herself to appear as a human anymore. Preferring to become Shadow Latias and view the town that way at all times, she had also stopped attending the Tour De Altomare every year for the past eight. She just didn't feel like participating in much but her duties as guardian of Altomare ever since that day nine years ago when she had lost both her brother and the only boy she had ever loved.

While lost in thought, a mint green Latios had flown up beside her and watched her, curiously. She looked up and regarded him with a warm chirp and started delicately preening the feathers on her wings with her mouth, her sparkling golden eyes somewhat glancing at him every so often as he stared.

"I still don't understand you," the Latios finally commented after a long and awkward silence. "You live in a beautiful island paradise around many people who care about you; Pokémon who respect and idolize you, and humans that are in awe about your legendary status. However, you seem unhappy all the time. I offer to make you happy and become your mate, but for the past 5 years straight since I got here, you rebuff my advances even though I am a very special Pokémon that is rare among the rare and that any other Latias would kill to have. You tell me it's been 9 years since any family trauma. There has to be something else wrong."

Latias sighed softly and stopped preening to make full eye-contact with him. "I appreciate that you are so interested in me and my past. You've been really nice to me over the years and I don't want you to think I'm arrogant or anything, but I'm just not interested. Had you met me when I was young and with my brother, I probably would have been enamored. I hate to sound rude, as it's entirely against my nature, but we've had this discussion several times before. I hope that we can still be friends, though. I am happy to have your company here in such a way."

The Latios shrugged as best a Latios can and broke eye-contact with her. "You are a very strange Latias and I can't stop thinking about you, but if that's the way it has to be, I guess I can understand." He shook his wings indignantly and turned around to fly off in the opposite direction, out of her garden.

Latias sighed again and hovered over to her swing set and gently placed herself on the seat and rocked herself back and forth, holding on to the ropes with her claws. She thought about how it was the very same swing set in which she revealed herself to Ash when she was a more youthful Latias with a heavy infatuation. Little did she know then that it would turn into full-blown love even after so long into her adulthood. It wasn't like she thought about him constantly, but it would get especially hard for her to function all by herself in the season in which all the other Latios and Latias paired up and started families, along with all the other Pokémon that lived in Altomare.

She had had and rejected plenty of opportunities to find a mate and start a family because her heart still belonged to none other than her beloved Ash. She knew that she had fallen so deeply in love with this human that she would sacrifice having a family and continue waiting for something that just could never be. She had never told another soul why she seemed so unhappy much of the time. Everyone just thought that it was her brother's death afflicting her even though it seemed odd that her mourning could last so long and that she hadn't made peace with it yet.

On many occasions, the Latios from before had offered to take over her duties as current Guardian of Altomare so that she could leave a place that seemed to make her so unhappy, but she refused him that as well. She just didn't feel she had anywhere else to go, and to find Ash after so much time seemed ridiculous. So much had changed for him since they were together. He'd met all kinds of people and Pokémon in his travels that she was certain that he would not even remember who she was. She preferred to live in the memory of his arm draped around her neck and her cuddling close to him after her brother had died, and the look on his face when she had kissed him and run away the next morning. She didn't want to think about the feeling of pain she would have to endure of finding him only to see a blank stare on his face as to who she was.

It was then for the first time ever in her life that she began to feel anger. _How could you leave me here?!_, she thought to herself. _You just came into my life, showed me incredible love and kindness that probably no other human or Pokémon alike could show another, and then left as quickly as you'd come. _

Thinking about how loving and kind he was melted away her anger instantly. She hovered there in shock that she could ever be affected so badly that she could feel anger for anyone so lovely as he. Letting her golden eyes begin to leak with tears and ignoring them as they streamed down her face, she thought, _Why didn't you ever come back for me? Why, Ash, why? I love you. I want to take care of you and be there for you. Will you ever come back to me?_

As if to cosmically answer her question, she noticed a familiar woman, a long-time friend running up to her with long flowing brown hair tucked neatly under a beret. Latias quickly dried her tears and regained her composure as Bianca stopped in front of her.

"Latias, you have to see this! Come quickly!" She took off in a sprint back toward their small cottage, Latias flying closely behind and mulling over what could possibly be so important that Bianca would come get her and be running around. Bianca was usually a very calm and not easily excitable person.

When they arrived inside the house, Latias stared at Bianca in confusion. Bianca then pointed at the television set and said, "Look!" Latias turned her gaze toward the TV and suddenly stopped cold. There on the TV set was a man with a Pikachu, directing her moves in battle. She studied his features and could tell without a doubt that this man was her Ash, only older, in different apparel, and without the trademark hat. She could feel her heart thumping wildly, and a warmth spread around her entire body as she watched him.

The scene unfolding on the TV was a replay of Ash's battle that made him champion earlier that day. A narrator was speaking and once Latias regained her senses, she began to listen; "You've heard right. The world champion is now Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town, Kanto. In a battle against the former champion today, he made it through with a win that clearly showed his abilities as a trainer were good enough to make him the best in the world. The awards ceremony that will officially bestow upon him the title of Master Champion will occur on May 27th in the beautiful island city of Altomare."

Latias stopped listening after that as her heart had practically stopped. She suddenly felt woozy and had to land on the ground to keep from fainting. She looked around frantically in search of a calendar. She had never taken much interest before in the way humans kept track of time, but suddenly it seemed like the most important thing in the world. Finally spotting an electrical clock with the date, she read, "May 20." It was almost too much to take. Ash would finally be here again for the first time in 9 years in only seven solar cycles.

Bianca turned around and looked at Latias expectantly. "Isn't that amazing? That nice kid who wandered into our garden a decade ago is going to be here again, except he's all grown up now." She turned back to watch him on TV. "I wonder if he still has my picture. Maybe we'll get to see him again! Though, I wouldn't get my hopes up too high as now he seems to be the most important person on the planet. He's really cute now too. Wow."

Latias felt a small twinge of jealousy at Bianca's last remark, but let it go as she knew that Bianca had become somewhat of a boy-crazy flirt in her teenage years and it hadn't gone away even though she was 23. She quietly slipped out the door and flew back out toward her garden, arriving at the highest point she could find to look out over the city and think for a while. When dusk approached, she ruffled her feathers and made her way down to her favorite tree and landed on a large branch, curling up to sleep.


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

In her dream, Latias saw nothing but a heavenly blue in all directions. She could tell that her psychic abilities were at work while she slept, something that rarely happened. She felt really alert and knew that something momentous was about to transpire.

As if to prove her right, she spied a figure in the distance slowly coming toward her. Squinting to make out the outline of a Latios coming toward her, she gasped when he finally came close enough to see his face.

"Brother," she managed breathlessly.

"My sister, it has been quite a long time," Latios said in a deep comforting voice that sent nostalgic shivers down Latias' spine and caused her eyes to well up for the second time that day. "I saw what you did for that Raticate earlier today and I'm so very proud of you. You have grown into a very responsible and caring adult Latias."

Flattered, Latias vocalized and flew up to nuzzle the aura of her dearly departed brother. He craned his neck around hers. "It's my duty to protect Altomare and its inhabitants," she said simply.

Latios nipped at her neck lightly. "Oh, sister. I've seen you unhappy for far too long. It's that boy Ash, isn't it? I saw the way that you looked at him and sensed how you felt when close to him. I'm psychic too, don't you remember? You had never been happier in your life when with him. You were even stronger and more brave around him. I could see that he had a very positive influence on you, turning you from a playful hyper girl into a woman that could sacrifice it all to protect the ones she loved when called upon. Now you seem to have retained that maturity, but you just aren't the happy or playful Latias you were before. I didn't like you associating with him at first, but I came to see how pure of a soul that human has and started to secretly hope that you would stay with him and be happy."

Latias gazed up at him with sparkling tear-filled eyes. She couldn't believe that he knew the secret of her love that she had been hiding for so very long. She should have known, as he had pretty much raised her himself. Also, she was in shock that she had had her brother's blessing all along.

She decided to finally let it all out as she choked back sobs. "Oh brother, how could I have thought you didn't know? It is him. He is the love of my life. He had such an incredible impact on me. The way he smiles, the way he cares, the way he walks, everything about him just felt so right when he was with me. When we touched, I felt safer than I ever had before in my life. He sent sensations through me that felt so out of this world that I was convinced that we were connected psychically.

"But now... it's too late. I blew it. He left and I couldn't find a way to tell him how I felt. I was too scared and confused by my own feelings. When they didn't go away, I realized that I was stuck. I had to be Guardian of Altomare until someone was willing to take my place. By the time someone offered, I was so wrapped up in my own sorrow and fear that he'd not even remember me, I just gave up. And now it's too late. Far too late." She held on to her brother and finally broke into loud dragon sobs.

Latios wrapped his arm around his sister and let her cry for a while, gently rubbing her back. When she finally stopped and looked at him embarrassed and miserable, he spoke. "It's never too late. I don't think there's any kind of chance that he has forgotten about you. You saved his life and he yours. You are connected through that. He is coming back to Altomare for a short time. It is a sign that you were meant to be together. I came tonight to encourage you to take advantage of your one opportunity to be truly happy. You deserve that and so much more."

Latias blinked a few times and gazed at her brother with love and appreciation. "Thank you so much, brother. You have given me hope whereas I had only given myself despair. I will find him when he comes and discover a way to finally profess to him how I feel." Latias nodded with determination as she spoke.

Latios grinned proudly. "Now that's the Latias I've always known." He gently lifted up his clawed blue arm and carefully wiped away the remnants of her tears. "I'm sorry my dear sister, but I'm afraid that now I must part from you once again." His image broke and slowly his aura began to separate and glisten into a mist.

His sister whined. "No, brother, please! I still need you. Don't go!" She frantically flew around the mist, trying to put it back together.

"Fret not, Latias. We will be reunited again someday. Until then, enjoy your life to the fullest. Be with Ash. Fulfill your inner purpose. I love you always," Latios whispered from seemingly faraway before drifting away into nothingness.

Latias whimpered for a moment in the dark, but quickly regained the bravery and determination her brother had restored. She then awakened.


End file.
